Applying flouride rinse.
Dentistry plays a major role in the lifelong health of
pets. By age 3, most animals suffer from some degree of
periodontal disease. Periodontal disease begins as bacteria
and food particles accumulate on the teeth and harden into
tarter. As this progresses further, pockets form between
teeth and gums which hold more bacteria and food particles.
Every time an animal takes a bite of food, bacteria are released
from these pockets into the bloodstream. Once in the
bloodstream the bacteria are carried to the organs and other parts
of the body. Over time, this continual bombardment of bacteria can
make diseases of the heart, liver and kidneys much more
likely. This makes lifelong home and professional dental care
extremely important.
Home dental care is the best way to prevent dental
disease. C.E.T. home dental products are a great choice for
home prevention and they give many ways to get the job done.
The best prevention is daily brushing with a dental prophylaxis kit
which includes a toothbrush and tube of animal-specific toothpaste
(poultry and vanilla mint flavors are popular for dogs, seafood for
cats). Another good product is the C.E.T. oral hygiene rinse
which can be applied between the teeth and gums after every meal.
Not all pets will stand for such invasions into the mouth.
One option for those who don't is enzymatic rawhide chews for dogs,
or dental chews for cats. Finally, the newest product from
C.E.T. is Aquadent, a water additive which aids in plaque
prevention also. Another product that is also available is an
Oravet Home Care Kit. After a professional cleaning is done,
Oravet, a gel barrier sealant, can be applied to the teeth and gum
line. This is done once weekly following a dental
cleaning.
A
trained assistant monitors every anesthetized patient.
Professional dental cleaning is the best way to remove any
tarter that has built up on the teeth. While under
anesthesia, a professional cleaning begins with accessing the
amount of tarter, pocket formation and the amount of inflammation
present. At this time, we also evaluate the integrity of the
teeth to see if any extractions are necessary. Simple
extractions are usually performed before the cleaning process
begins. If no extractions are needed we proceed directly on
to the cleaning process. Ultrasonic scaling of the teeth is
performed to remove plaque and tarter from the teeth. After
all the tarter has been removed, the teeth are then polished and a
fluoride treatment is applied. Finally, Oravet is
applied. Oravet is a barrier sealant applied along the teeth
and gum line which keeps bacteria from adhering for about two
weeks. Professional dental cleanings are recommended once
yearly for most patients as this greatly reduces their risk for
developing periodontal disease.